Bird Pictures and More

I'm going to start a post about birds with pictures (more pictures) of 

the road crews here. 

I went to church this morning, and when I got out, I stopped at the old place

to check on the water for the wildings. 

I found the road crew working on our road. 

I was headed for the feed store, so went south.  Can you see the ridge in the road?  I'm sure it is all tamped down by now, because the grader made another pass. 

Anyway, our road is all smooth again, and free of potholes! 

By the way... these catalogs have already come.  I remember when the arrival of a seed catalog as 

early as Christmas eve was a HUGE thing.  Now... Pinetree came about the 27th of November. 

Park Seed is an old favorite, of course. 

After church this morning (and my truly peaceful hour of adoration)... I stopped at the old place and then went to the feed store in Bonner.  Valley Feeds is where we bought 

the majority of our feed at both the first Calamity, and the second Calamity Acres. 

I loaded up on Back Yard Blend for the month, but I also got a couple of bags of scratch, 

to take to a friend's house. 

I was able to take pictures there, even though we were freezing out in the cold air. 

I really enjoyed taking pictures of her birds. 

This young gentleman took advantage of the warm back of the car.  

On the way home, I stopped to take a few pictures of my favorite pond. 

Not a bird. 

Also not a bird. 

I have been trying to read this sign for weeks, I had to use the telephoto lens to do it. 

HummV Farm.  Funny. 

Even though it was 23 degrees out, Diane's hoses were running... and the ducks were loving it. 

On a sadder note, I stopped at the grocery store in Tonganoxie this morning after church, 

and, while standing in line, the young man in front of me turned around and said 

Wait, I know you! 

It was the young man who had taken a good part of our flock in the spring. 

I asked him how his chickens were doing, and he hung his head. 

He told me that his kids had failed to shut the coop door one night, and raccoons had gotten in 

and killed all of the birds but three. 

Yes, it hurt. 

He told me he had had to put Buffy, our Polish girl, in a separate pen because she could not see, and could not get used to the new pen when he moved her. She had spent just about all of her life from a chick at our place. 

He put Speedy in with her. 

I did not get straight if these two were killed, as well, since they were in a separate pen. 

They're still alive in my heart... crazy, but true. 

Tonight I am under the weather, with a raw throat... and 

dreading a doctor's appointment tomorrow.  If I still don't feel well 

in the morning, I'll have to reschedule. 

It was really cold today, but looks like we'll be in 

the forties the rest of the week... Hallelujah!